Monday, June 8, 2020

St. Augustine: Homily 27 on John: Saturday within the Octave of Corpus Christi



WE have said, that what the Lord hath given us to understand in the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood, is, that we should dwell in him and he in us. Now we dwell in him, when we are his members, and he dwelleth in us, when we are his temple. But, that we should be his members, unity doth knit and compact us together. That unity may knit us in one, what save love effects? And the love of God, whence is it? Ask the Apostle: The love of God, saith he, is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit which is given us.

THEREFORE, It is the Spirit that quickeneth: It is the Spirit that maketh living members. Nor doth the Spirit make to be living members any save those which the Spirit itself doth find in the body which it quickeneth. For, the spirit which is in thee, O man, whereby it consisteth that thou art man, doth it make alive any member which it shall find separated from thy flesh? By thy spirit I mean thy soul; thy soul quickeneth not, save the members which are in thy flesh; if thou take one away, now is it no more quickened of thy soul, because it is not coupled to the unity of thy body

THESE we may things love unity, are said, and that fear separation. For there is nothing that a Christian ought so much to dread as to be separated from the Body of Christ. Since, if he be separated from the Body of Christ, he is not a member of him, he is not quickened by his Spirit: for, Whoso, saith the Apostle, hath not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his. The Spirit, then, it is that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. The words which I speak unto you, they are Spirit and Life. What meaneth this, Are Spirit and Life? Are spiritually to be understood. Hast thou spiritually understood? They are Spirit and Life. Hast thou carnally understood? Even so, those are the Spirit and Life, but not to thee.

No comments:

Post a Comment